1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a harness and, more particularly, to a restraint harness for a child carrier.
2. Description of the Related Art
Restraint harnesses for children are generally known in the art. In particular, harnesses which restrain about a midsection are known and are often used in conjunction with child carriers to restrain a child during transport or otherwise for providing a means for securely retaining a child in a seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,065 to Meeker discloses a combination harness and coverlet for infant seats. Meeker's harness consists of a front portion with restraining midriff straps in contact with the seat occupant and side strap portions releasable secured by fasteners positioned on the rear face of the child seat. Meeker's harness suffers from the drawback that the parent must reach behind the seat to disengage the harness and requires one to remove the entire harness when a portion becomes soiled from use. Thus, Meeker's harness does not provide a convenient means for disengaging the harness and requires the entire harness assembly to be removed when a parent wishes to remove the portion of the harness in contact with the child.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,397 to Reid discloses an adult restraint harness consisting of an elongated body panel and lower torso panel with adjustable straps secured at the rear of the seat. Like Meeker, Reid suffers from the drawback that one has to reach behind the seat to disengage the harness and thus does not provide a convenient means for disengaging/engaging the harness nor providing the convenience of removing only that portion of the harness which comes into contact with a seat occupant.
Known harness restraints suffer from two additional disadvantages related to the operation and location of the harness adjustment. First, when a harness adjustment is located on the front, or seating side of the seat, a child is apt to tamper with the adjustment, thereby loosening the harness and allowing the child to escape. Secondly, harnesses that use threaded webbing fasteners to adjust a harness size can easily be improperly re-threaded when, for example, a parent removes and then re-attaches soft goods to the seat.